Why A Rheumatologist, Not A Spine Surgeon, To Treat Your Back Pain

Back pain is a symptom or complaint associated with over 60 different illnesses. Most of these illnesses are treated with nonsurgical therapy. Rheumatologists are expert in nonsurgical therapy for the spine.

The vast majority of back pain is caused by mechanical problems. Mechanical problems come about from growing older and over-stressing parts of the back, like muscles. The 4 most common forms of mechanical problems cause upwards of 90 to 95% of people with back pain. The remainder is medical disorders that are treated by rheumatologists or other internal medicine sub-specialists. For example, ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory spine disorder that is treated successfully by rheumatologists.

Muscle strain is most common form of mechanical back pain usually affecting people between 20 to 40 years of age. Muscle strains occur in the back as they do in a calf or a hamstring. The forces placed on the muscle are too great for the muscle to withstand and an injury occurs in the muscle fibers. Although this is a very painful event, most of these muscle injuries will heal up over the next week or 2. Movement is the best medicine for healing. Gradually increasing activity improves blood flow to muscles and that is what heals them up quickly. Surgery is not required.

Disc herniate, they do not slip. People who are 20 to 40 are at greatest risk. The disc is like a jelly doughnut cushion. They work well as long as the jelly stays in the doughnut. If the jelly leaks out, it can touch the nerves that supply signals for sensation and muscle strength in the legs. This can be a very painful event called sciatica. The body has a way to get rid of the jelly. Surgery is not needed to resolve this problem. The vast majority of people, 19 out of 20 people with a disc herniation can gradually improve as the body removes the disc and the function of the nerve is restored. A minority of people require surgery or a discectomy to remove the disc. Surgery is needed when the pain is too intense or the muscles do not function well. People who undergo surgery get better faster. However, people with or without surgery evaluated at 1 or 2 years later have done equally well.

Joints of the low back can wear out. This disorder is osteoarthritis and occurs in individuals 50 to 70 years old. Pain is greatest when weight is placed on these joints that are about the size of a dime. Therapy for this problem is exercises that result in strength of the abdomen – core strength that will use the muscles in place of the joints to support the back. Drug therapy to decrease pain helps individuals participate with their exercises. Back surgery to fuse joints usually results in more back pain over time.

Spinal stenosis affects individuals who are 60 to 80 years old. Stenosis means narrowing. Narrowing occurs inside the spinal column. The spinal cord and nerves that exit the spine can get pinched by bone and soft tissues that grow as we age. When we stand, the room in the spine is narrowed. Patients with spinal stenosis have pain with standing that can cause aching in the legs. Sitting increases the volume in the spine so the pain is relieved. Medicines, injections, and exercises have been used to relieve the pain of spinal stenosis. If the pain cannot be controlled, that is when spinal surgery to free up the nerves can relieve the pain and have patients return to being able to walk again without leg pain.

When choosing a physician to take care of your back pain, why not go to the doctor who can help you 19 out of 20 times. Medical, non-surgical therapy is the form of treatment that is appropriate for the vast majority of low back pain problems. Your local rheumatologist is a good place to start to get your back pain better.